You are not an investigator - Mbarara Mayor Robert Kakyebezi pushes back against Balaam

Mbarara City Mayor Robert Kakyebezi has criticised Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara's hands-on anti-corruption operations, saying a minister should supervise local governments rather than personally lead investigations.

Mbarara City Mayor Robert Kakyebezi has urged Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara to change how he is handling investigations into alleged corruption in local governments.

Kakyebezi said the minister should first meet local government leaders and build a working relationship with them instead of personally leading investigations and inspections.

"It is very important for the minister to cause a meeting; he can call us to Kampala and they introduce him to us, so we can talk to him and get to know him. That is what we want to own him and he should also own us," Kakyebezi said.

The Lord Mayor, while addressing the press, argued that the minister’s approach of investigating and ordering the arrest of local government official including elected leaders is beyond his scope

He noted that the minister’s role is to supervise local governments, not to carry out investigations.

"A minister is not an investigator. His job is to control and oversee the works of the local governments. These are things that people must separate. An investigator and a ministerial post and work are different."

"He should be sending people to do the investigations and they bring a report to him, so he can summon the wrongdoers. We thank him for what he is doing, but what is lacking needs to be corrected," he added.

Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara with his State counterpart Justine Nameere

Minister Barugahara and State Minister for Local Government Justine Nameere continue a nationwide anti-corruption campaign targeting misuse of public funds and poor service delivery in local governments.

The campaign, dubbed "Expose the Corrupt in Local Government," has seen the ministers conduct surprise inspections, verify projects on the ground and order arrests of officials accused of misusing public resources.

The operations have focused on alleged abuse of the Road Fund and the Parish Development Model, ghost workers, inflated school enrolment figures, poor road and bridge works, procurement irregularities and abuse of office.

In Bulambuli District, the ministers oversaw inspections that led to the arrest of District Engineer Paulo Walimbwa and other officials over alleged misuse of Road Fund money and shoddy bridge works worth more than Shs500 million.

In Mbale District, they uncovered suspected ghost workers at Naiku Health Centre III and ordered investigations into payroll records. They also ordered the arrest of a primary school headteacher accused of inflating pupil enrolment.

In Jinja District, Barugahara directed the Chief Administrative Officer to step aside as the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government investigated allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

The campaign has received support from President Yoweri Museveni and government officials, who say it will strengthen accountability and improve service delivery.

However, it has also drawn criticism. The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers recently protested what it described as arbitrary arrests and the public humiliation of engineers, arguing that technical investigations should precede punitive action.

Barugahara has defended the operations, saying they are necessary to recover stolen public funds, improve accountability and restore confidence in local governments.